2 Feet of Snow Meets Its Match: Bethesda's Richard Hoye

There were a lot of surprise stories of neighbors helping neighbors after the 2016 blizzard left more than 2 feet of snow in some areas. But the heroics of Richard Hoye was no surprise to his neighbors.

Granted, this was more snow than we’re used to getting in the area, but Richard Hoye has been hard at clearing his streets for years — spending more than $40,000 on equipment.

And he was back at work cleaning up his neighborhood last week.

“Being a firefighter and being retired, I really have a passion for tools and I don’t get access quite as much,” he told WTOP. “So this is my midlife crisis toy.”

It took him two full days to clear his dead-end street for his neighbors.

“You deserve a medal here,” a neighbor told him Wednesday, according to Bethesda Magazine. “No seriously, good job.”

But Hoye’s neighbors pitched in, too. Using shovels to dig out his skid-steer when it got stuck.

His do-it-yourself attitude is no surprise, either. The Gazette featured Hoye in 2011 when he used his bike and an attachment to collect wood for home heating after utilities were cutting back trees in the neighborhood.